Are you, the indispensable finance professional, being fairly compensated? Talent and business advisory firm Robert Half’s newly released 2026 Salary Guide may help answer that question.
The average mid-range salary of a CFO is $269,750, spanning from $195,500 on the low end to $321,750 on the high end, according to the guide. For the rest of the finance team, the mid-range salary is $185,000 for a controller, $94,750 for a senior accountant, and $62,000 for an entry-level staff accountant.
Of course, specific salaries are dependent on numerous factors, like a candidate’s skills and experience, the industry and company size, and demand for the role, the firm noted. For instance, New York-based finance and accounting roles pay 36.5% more than the national average.
A look at the bigger picture. This year’s guide also signals that CFOs may need to open up the company wallet a bit to attract top talent. Salary growth has moderated overall, but 84% of hiring managers said they offer higher pay to candidates who have skills in high demand, according to a news release.
Candidates skilled in areas like AI, machine learning, and data science; public accounting, tax, audit, and assurance; and content strategy, digital project management, and marketing analytics can expect to see “higher-than-average starting salary gains.”
Three-quarters of employers are concerned about meeting prospective employees’ salary expectations. Meanwhile, nearly nine in 10 candidates said they’re comfortable with negotiating salary offers. Half of hiring managers said that new perks and benefits “will be an effective recruiting strategy in 2026,” according to the release.
“Specialized skills are the currency of today’s job market,” Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, said in a statement. “To attract and retain in-demand talent, employers must provide competitive pay along with meaningful benefits and perks or risk losing top candidates if their offers don’t measure up.”
Companies that are pushing for a return to office may also have to cough up extra dough to sweeten the deal. Two-thirds of candidates said they’d work full-time in the office if the salary was higher. Most of that group (60%) said they’d expect a pay increase of 10% or more.
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